[dbaust] Gillard confident of disability deal
- From: "P Tarrant" <tarrp@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <dbaust@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2012 20:05:19 +1000
Gillard confident of disability deal
Date July 27, 2012 - 5:55PM
A little light during her blacked oput press conference.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard managed to shed a little light on a difficult
issue during her blacked out press conference. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen
Prime Minister Julia Gillard is now confident that the National Disability
Insurance Scheme can be trialled in NSW and Victoria following compromises
by the states' premiers.
Ms Gillard told reporters in Canberra today that the dual peace offers this
afternoon were a "win" for disabled people and their carers nationwide.
Conducting her press conference through a power cut at Parliament House, Ms
Gillard said the was "very optimistic" trials will now go ahead in the two
states.
Cycling groups have questioned Premier Ted Baillieu's commitment to
Melbourne's 'bike city' status.
Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu. Photo: John Woudstra
Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu has written to Prime Minister Julia Gillard
with a fresh offer of $42 million to host a state trial of the National
Disability Insurance Scheme.
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NSW Disability Services Minister Andrew Constance says his government has
also promised to contribute $35 million for an NDIS trial in the Hunter
region - which is halfway to the $70 million requested by Ms Gillard.
The Prime Minister welcomed the O'Farrell government's agreement to fund
individual places to $20,779 and NSW's acknowledgement that more money
needed to be "put on the table".
But NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell indicated he was not as happy with today's
outcome.
"Testing goodwill - both NSW & Victoria have come halfway & we now hope the
Commonwealth will equally show a determination to end the impasse," he
posted on Twitter this afternoon
This comes after several days of criticism from Prime Minister Julia
Gillard, who has been calling on Victoria and New South Wales to contribute
more funds to to set up trial sites.
After a Council of Australian Governments Meeting on Wednesday, Ms Gillard
had expressed her disappointment that trial sites had only been secured in
the smaller states of Tasmania and South Australia as well as the ACT.
Ms Gillard has been asking that Victoria contribute an extra $40 million in
funding.
Mr Baillieu said he had written to the Prime Minister this afternoon with
the new offer, which would enable a Barwon trial site for 5,000 Victorians
to go ahead in mid 2013.
The Victorian Premier told reporters in Melbourne it was ‘‘sufficient’’ to
meet Ms Gillard’s requirement.
‘‘I take the view that this is too important to play a political game,’’ Mr
Baillieu said.
Mr Baillieu said that $17 million in extra funds over three years would
increase the payments to individuals, with a further one off payment of $25
million to help facilitate the launch.
Earlier today when touring a catering company that employs disabled people
in Geelong, Ms Gillard kept the pressure on Victoria and NSW.
‘‘All we are asking is for them to live up to the expectations they have
raised in their own communities,’’ Mr Gillard said.
Disability Reform Minister Jenny Macklin said she wanted to end the ''cruel
lottery that sees people with the same disability treated better just
because of where they live or how they acquired their disability''.
She was scathing of the Victorian and NSW governments, saying they had
failed to commit the necessary funding for the trials needed to break the
deadlock.
''I am very disappointed that Victoria and New South Wales have made clear
they will not contribute funding for launch sites in Geelong and the
Hunter,'' she said.
The federal government has announced it will contribute $1 billion in
funding for the NDIS, if NSW contributed a further $70 million for a site in
the Hunter region and Victoria contributed $40 million.
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Read more:
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/gillard-confident-of-disability-deal-20120727-22yvx.html#ixzz21odvghBS
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